Theta is a German company that makes big games with nice wooden components. Their price matches the quality, as each of their games will set you back about $50. Most of the games fall into the "dexterity" category, and they claim that you'll only unbox the game once since they look so good out of the box. They do look good, but if you display them it will probably be because the boxes do not fit well on normal sized bookshelves. Some of the games are excellent, while others look better than they play. For the uninitiated, here is a review of the Theta games:

Headquarter

[page 04201#001548]jump to Headquarter review

Saturn

[page 07809#001549]jump to Saturn review

Cubicado

You begin Cubicado by dumping a set of blocks in four sizes onto a frame, trying to create a large and unstable pyramid. The blocks each have a small hole on some of their sides, and the players in turn use two sticks to try to remove the blocks without disturbing any of the others. If successful, they keep pulling blocks until another moves, at which point their turn ends and the sticks are passed.

The blocks score by size in a 1-2-4-8 pattern, obviously creating a premium for the larger blocks. As should be clear, toward the end of the game it becomes increasingly easy to remove blocks without affecting others, but by this time the game is often decided. In practice, whoever gets a disproportionate number of the 8 and 4 blocks wins, and this is an example of a game that looks a lot better than it plays. This is one of their weaker efforts.

Pusher

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Tribalance

[page 04520#001552]jump to Tribalance review

Fire

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Handicap

[page 07807#001554]jump to Handicap review

Step by Step

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A Quick Summary

The eight games in the Theta collection share the common features of quality wooden components, big boxes, great aesthetics, focus on physics, and high prices. Here is a buyers guide for those interested. The number in parenthesis refers to the "dexterity/strategy" mix, with 1 meaning only dexterity and 10 meaning only strategy:

Strongly consider: Headquarter (9), Saturn (3), Tribalance (4).

Maybe if you have some extra money: Pusher (4), Step by Step (10).

Only as a curiosity: Fire (2), Handicap (2), Cubicado (2).